What are the differences between ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ fashion?

The fashion industry is one of the most profitable and developed industries in the world, worth around $1.2 trillion per year and providing over 800,000 jobs. In fact, with an industry that is continuously changing and evolving, it’s hard to stay on top of the trends that are emerging every season. Both slow fashion and fast fashion play a role in the styles of clothing we have available to purchase yet very few people know the distinguishable differences between them. Here are a few aspects that separate them…

Industry Size

The fast fashion industry is
growing rapidly and has a value of around $1.2 trillion each year. By contrast, the slow
fashion counterpart is noticeably smaller in size and tends to be championed by
small businesses.

Materials

Clothing produced through fast
fashion is often created from lower quality materials whilst slow fashion opts
for fabrics that are generally of a higher quality, sometimes natural and organic.
These materials might be sourced locally and may even be recycled.

Quality

As the focus of fast fashion is
to get the clothing onto the shop floor as quickly as possible, the clothing is
often lower in quality with regards to how it is made, the time put into each
item and the materials used. On the other hand, slow fashion is made to last, meaning
a higher quality garment. Whilst it may have a higher price tag, the quality generally
reflects this value.

Volume

In order to cater for their
market, fast fashion clothing stores introduce new styles regularly in-season and
create larger volumes of clothing. In contrast, the slow fashion industry may
only bring out new styles each season and therefore produces a lower volume of
clothing.

Sustainability

Fast fashion gains its name from
the speed at which it is able to produce such a wide array of clothing for the
big brands and stores however it is difficult to create clothing at such a rate
that the fast fashion industry demands whilst adopting ethical and eco-friendly
methods in terms of both workers’ rights and the clothing quality. As slow
fashion is made at a much slower rate, each item is afforded the care necessary
and the industry works to create a sustainable environment for workers.

At 2forjoy, it is our mission to
create quality clothing with a timeless appeal, whilst conducting our business
in an ethical way where people are remunerated properly for the work they do
whilst causing the least possible harm to the environment. Therefore, we
associate our clothing values with slow fashion and everything that the
industry stands for. Whilst fast fashion makes up a significant part of the
industry, it is the slow fashion movement
that allows the culture and value of fashion to be preserved. Please contact us
for more information at info@2forjoy.co.uk